In regards to public opinion, it is said that the media’s true influence is affecting what issues people think are most important. explain how this occurs and how it affects government and elections.

The media is able to pick and choose what to make important. Because of this, the issues that we as the public are made aware of often revolve around the personal agenda of those publishing it. Something that could be important but won't have people hop on to comment is likely to not get published due to the reputation of the source. Therefore, we are less likely to see it and will assume that since it's not all over social media and large news companies, it's unimportant. Something that is gossip juicy however may, in reality, be unimportant, but it is very likely to get shared and made a big deal out of, thus giving us the illusion of importance. This affects Elections by hyping up drama about canidates. The drama can be good or bad and will have an effect on how people vote depending on what rumors they hear. This also affects people's trust in the government.